School districts have kept tabs for years on student attendance. Now, for the first time, teacher attendance is becoming a topic of discussion.

The state has started to include statistics about the percentage of teachers absent 10 or more days during a school year. Those figures now are being included in the state’s “report card” on districts and individual schools.

Statewide, as well as nationally, about one-fourth of teachers were absent for 10 days or more during the 2013-14 school year, the most recent statistics available.

In west-central Illinois, the majority of school districts have teacher attendance rates above the state average of 76.5. That figure reflects the percentage of teachers who miss fewer than 10 days each school year.

North Greene Supervising Principal Mark Scott said North Greene saw a large number of maternity leaves that resulted in the district falling below the state average. About 68 percent of the district’s teachers missed fewer than 10 days during the 2013-14 school year, according to state statistics.

“We have a young staff and a lot have been out on maternity leave,” Scott said.

Jackie Matthews, director of media and external communication for the Illinois State Board of Education, said while teachers may not be in the classroom at other times, such as on professional development days, those are not included in the statistics.

“The Office for Civil Rights considers a teacher absent if he or she was not in attendance on a day in the regular school year when the teacher would otherwise be expected to be teaching students in an assigned class,” Matthews said. “This includes both days taken for sick leave and days taken for personal leave. Personal leave includes voluntary absences for reasons other than sick leave. Administratively approved leave for professional development, field trips or other off-campus activities with students should not be included.”

Dana Kinley, Jacksonville District 117 assistant superintendent of human resources and public relations, said that while the district’s numbers are about average, she isn’t worried about teachers missing unnecessarily.

About 78 percent of the district’s teachers were absent fewer than 10 days during the 2013-14 school year.

Kinley said she isn’t concerned by the number after looking at the reasons for the absences.

“At least for our district, a majority of the teaching positions are held by women, who have babies,” Kinley said. “People get sick, have family responsibilities.”

She said the information still can be a starting point for conversations.

“It is a very good metric for discussion,” Kinley said. “Looking at the numbers, the next step would to look at the reason and ask, ‘Do we have an attendance problem?’ And I don’t think we do.”

Waverly Superintendent Dustin Day said having a teacher in the classroom consistently means more understanding or ability to connect with students.

“A teacher who has had a student all year knows each child — and in some cases, their families — so they know about some issues each child has,” Day said. “Having a sub — while we are appreciative to have those — they don’t know the students, so they may not know (how) to deal with certain problems.”

Ninety-four percent of Waverly’s teachers missed fewer than 10 days in 2013-14.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten has called the estimates unfair, incomplete and inaccurate for not addressing why absences occur.

“While some, no doubt, will find fault with teachers in this attendance report, an overall 94 percent attendance rate shows the extraordinary dedication of teachers across the country, who come to school each day ready and excited to teach,” she said. “This kind of stability is what our kids need to succeed.”

But administrators say absences can interrupt lesson plans, which are put in place to ensure classes stay on track.

“Teachers know the lesson plans, they know what they’ve talked about in classes,” Day said.

Scott said while the number don’t surprise him, he and the district have implemented a program to encourage teachers not to miss days.

“We have a competition for our teachers who don’t miss or haven’t been using their sick time,” Scott said. “When they don’t miss days, they can get entered into a raffle to win different things.”

Scott said teacher attendance is an issue that affects many districts.

“Our teachers are entitled to 12 sick days and two personal days and many take those,” he said. “Unfortunately, many teachers choose to use those each year. The obvious incentive [for teachers to be in the classrooms] should be, in my opinion, wanting our students to be successful.”

Kinley said it is impossible to prevent teacher absences, but added that abuse of the system can happen.

“Illnesses happen, life events happen,” Kinley said. “As long as it’s legitimate reasons, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha.